In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a mounting bracket assembly for attachment of conductive or electrified tape used for fence enclosures to a T-cross section, steel fence post.
Enclosures for livestock or to protect property may comprise an electrified fence arrangement. The use of electrified wire strands or barbed wire as a fencing material is often discouraged inasmuch as the wire fencing material may injure the animals retained within the enclosure. Also, such wire may be difficult to observe visually. Thus, especially with animals such as horses which are susceptible to such injury caused by a wire or fencing that is not readily seen, a practice has developed to use electrified fence tape. Typically, the tape is made from a plastic material which is non-conductive. Small conductive wires are woven through the tape. The tape may have a width of 1 to 5 inches. The small conductive wires being woven throughout the tape along its length are connected to a current source and may provide an electric shock. A typical tape is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,728,080 and 4,905,969 incorporated herewith by reference.
Such tapes may be supported on various types of fence posts. It is important, however, to make sure that the posts are not electrically connected to the tape or that the posts are made from an insulating material. Otherwise, the electric current is grounded and the fence becomes totally ineffective.
T-cross section steel fence posts are desirable and common in the environment where such conductive fences are likely to be utilized. Such T-shaped cross section fence posts have been used for many decades in combination with wire, including wire fencing and barbed wire. It has also become desirable to use such fence posts for the erection of electric fences utilizing conductive tape fencing material. However, because the steel posts are conductive, proper attachment of the tape and support thereof by a post becomes an important factor in the construction of a fence. It is important, for example, to somehow insulate the conductive tape from the post. Such insulation can occur by coating the post with a non-conductive material, for example. Various other schemes can be utilized. Nonetheless, there has remained a need to provide a method for supporting a conductive tape material on a steel T-cross section fence post efficiently and economically. Such demands inspired the development of the present invention.